The Return of Mandarin
by Aprotny
Summary: After the Skeleton King's final downfall, the original Mandarin decides he should step up to the task of taking over Shuggazoom City. I do not own SRMTHFG.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I do not own SRMTHFG.**

Mandarin watched a hologram of Shuggazoom City carefully, pinpointing exactly where he would intercept Chiro.

The Skeleton King had been destroyed along with the replacement Mandarin.

It was time for him, the real Mandarin, to show his true colors and take over Shuggazoom.

First, however, he would have to weaken the Hyper Force.


	2. Kidnapped

Chiro stomped into his room angrily. He had just had a fight with Antauri and had used some foul language. He regretted it, but didn't want to say he was sorry just yet. He was still angry.

'I'll talk to him in the morning.' He promised himself as he changed into his pajamas and climbed into bed. 'But why do I feel like something bad is about to happen?'

He shrugged and drifted off to sleep.

**Later that night…**

Mandarin teleported into Chiro's room.

He stuck a needle holding tranquilizer into the boy's arm just as the alarm went off.

Chiro's eyelids trembled and then relaxed. The tranquilizer wouldn't allow him to wake up.

"You're mine now, my hairless monkey." Mandarin hissed, picking up the boy and teleporting away.

Moments later, Sprx entered the room.

"This is no time to sleep, Kid! Someone's in the robot! Chiro?" The red monkey looked around. "Where are you?"

He saw a couple of drops of an unfamiliar liquid on the floor.

He activated his communicator. "Gibson, I need you up here."

**A few minutes later…**

Gibson walked out of his lab to confront the team.

"It's tranquilizer." He reported.

"Trans-what-er?" Otto interrupted.

"Tranquilizer. It's a combination of chemicals used to put people to sleep and keep them that way for a certain amount of time." Gibson explained.

"You don't think someone used it on Chiro, do you?" Nova questioned, worried.

"I certainly doubt Chiro used it on someone else." Gibson replied. "This can only mean that Chiro's been kidnapped."

"The question is, who did it?" Antauri put in.

"Let's check the security cameras. Maybe they can tell us." Sprx suggested.

The rest of the team nodded and they headed to the Command Center.

Gibson typed in some stuff and brought up the surveillance for Chiro's room.

"But… that's impossible! Mandarin's dead!" Otto gasped.

"Apparently not." Antauri growled. "We have to find out where's he taken Chiro before something bad happens."


	3. Taren

Taren was hiking through the jungle in the Zone of Wasted Years, searching for food, when he heard a cry of triumph from one of the creatures living there. It meant the creature had found prey.

He hurried towards the sound. He had to make sure the prey wasn't human! He found a hiding spot close to the scene. To his disappointment, the prey _was_ human.

A familiar boy was tied to a tree, unconscious.

The creature lunged for the boy, but was stopped by Taren's bow and arrow.

"Leave the child alone!" Taren shouted, jumping in front of the kid.

The fight went on for several minutes before finally ending with victory on Taren's side.

Using the tip of one of his arrows, Taren cut the ropes holding the boy to the tree and caught him as he fell. Then, he carried him back to his home, using a remote to take down the shield for the few seconds it took him to get inside. He lay the boy down on his bed and suddenly recognized him.

It was Chiro! What had happened to him?

He decided not to fret about it and went to finish collecting food.

**An hour later…**

Chiro groaned and opened his eyes. Where was he? He certainly wasn't in the Super Robot anymore.

He sat up and saw that he was in a small house. Looking out the window, he realized it was in a jungle and surrounded by a shield.

The shield evaporated for a few seconds and then reappeared.

Chiro heard a door slam and immediately lay back down and pretended to be asleep.

He sensed someone coming towards him. It was a familiar presence, but he didn't know where he knew it from. It certainly wasn't the monkeys.

"Wake up, Chiro. I've got something for you to eat." A male voice told him. "I know you're awake, so don't pretend you're not."

Chiro opened his eyes and gasped.

"Dad?"


	4. The Search

Mandarin laughed as he watched the Monkey Team searching desperately for him and their teammate.

They didn't know that it was too late for Chiro. The boy was probably dead by now, eaten by some wild creature that lived in the Zone of Wasted Years.

The Hyper Force was greatly weakened without their leader. He would be able to come in and snatch Shuggazoom right out from under them. Then, he would destroy the monkeys, one by one.

Mandarin grinned at the brilliance of his evil plan. So far, everything was going perfectly.

**Meanwhile…**

"Nova, you got anything?" Sprx asked via communicator.

"No, it's like he disappeared without a trace. Well, except for the tranquilizer we found in his room." Nova responded.

"Antauri, what about you?" Sprx questioned.

"I am unable to locate him with the Power Primate. Something is blocking the signal. I do know for a fact that he is still alive. At least, for the time being." Antauri replied.

"Gibson and I also came up with zip, Sprx." Otto put in. "Nothing comes up on our long-range scanners. His communicator is offline as well. I wouldn't be surprised if Mandarin smashed it so we couldn't use it to find him."

"Perhaps we are searching for the wrong person. We know we can't find Chiro, but what about Mandarin? He's sure to strike soon. If we find Mandarin, he might just lead us to Chiro." Antauri suggested.

"We'll stick with that plan. Keep your eyes peeled, team." Nova said.

Antauri turned around at the sound of footsteps.

"Antauri, what are you doing out at this time of night?" Jinmay asked.

"I could ask you the same question." Antauri replied.

"Something felt wrong. I was headed to the Super Robot to tell you guys about it." Jinmay answered.

"Something _is_ wrong." Antauri told her. "Chiro has been kidnapped by Mandarin. We're searching for them now."

"Mandarin? But I thought…" Jinmay began.

Antauri held up a hand to silence her. "So did we, but, apparently, we were wrong."

"We have to find Chiro!" Jinmay exclaimed.

"I expect that you are planning on joining us in our search?" Antauri questioned.

"Yes! I'll help in any way I can!" Jinmay responded.

"Keep an eye out. They could be anywhere." Antauri said as he resumed searching using the Power Primate.

Jinmay sighed. "Chiro, where are you?"


	5. Sprx and Otto go 'Poof'

"Dad? But… how?" Chiro asked. His eyes hardened. "Why'd you take me from the Monkey Team?"

"I didn't take you from anyone except that giant creature that was about to eat you." Taren replied. "Here's what happened: I was collecting food when I heard the creature give a roar of triumph meaning it had dominated its prey. I hurried to see what was going on and saw you unconscious and tied to a tree. I managed to fight off the creature with my bow and arrow. Then, I cut you free and brought you here. I have no clue what happened to you before that."

Chiro looked at his lap, feeling guilty for thinking his father had kidnapped him.

"I just remember going to sleep in the Super Robot and waking up here." He muttered. "Sorry for thinking it was you."

"It's okay. It's typical to blame the first free person you see when you wake up somewhere with no clue how you got there." Taren comforted, and then handed the boy a type of fruit. "Here. Eat this. It will make you feel better."

Chiro took the fruit, mumbled his thank you, and ate it gratefully. His father was right. He _did_ feel better with something in his stomach.

"What happened then is in the past. It doesn't matter now." Taren told his son while they ate. "What _does_ matter is that fate brought us together again. I want to teach you what I know."

Chiro nearly choked on his food. He couldn't stay! He had to get back to the Monkey Team!

"I'm… I'm sorry. I have to go back. The citizens of Shuggazoom City are counting on me." He whispered, hanging his head.

Taren was startled. What did Chiro mean? Last time he'd checked, he was just a boy. However, it had been a long time since he'd last checked. Things could have changed. Either way, his wife would be devastated when she found out Chiro was gone.

He sighed. The city was hundreds of miles away. It would take months for them to get there by foot.

"Alright, we'll go." He finally answered. "But we won't be getting there anytime soon. Will you agree with my teaching you along the way?"

Chiro looked up. "How far is it?"

"Far. I'd estimate just under five hundred miles. Not just that, but we'll have to go by foot." Taren explained. "I'm sorry, Chiro. Looks like you'll be stuck with your old man for a while."

He glanced at Chiro's face to see that he was in shock, tears threatening to break surface.

"Chiro, I'm sorry. It's not my fault and it's not yours. We'll just have to do what we can to get there fast." Taren attempted. "But nothing bad will happen while you're gone. I promise. Now dry your tears and tell me more about this mysterious 'monkey team' of yours."

Chiro gave a small smile and started explaining.

**Meanwhile…**

Otto turned around. "Sprx, did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Sprx questioned.

"I thought I heard something." Otto turned back. "I must have been mistaken."

Formless suddenly appeared behind the two monkeys and soon surrounded them and started attacking.

Sprx and Otto were badly outnumbered and more kept coming. It wasn't long before they were knocked out, unable to prevent themselves from being captured.

**Elsewhere…**

Jinmay, Nova, Gibson, and Antauri stayed up late waiting for their teammates to return. When they woke up the next morning, Sprx and Otto still weren't back.

"What could have happened to them?" Nova asked softly.

"I don't know. It looks like our number of missing teammates has just gone from one to three." Antauri grumbled. He tried once more to contact them. "They're not answering."

"Do you think it was Mandarin again?" Gibson questioned.

"It's possible." Antauri replied. "We don't have any way of knowing for sure."

"Don't worry guys! We'll find them!" Jinmay attempted. "It's a new day! Let's keep looking!"

Gibson checked the computer. He decided to scan Skeleton King's castle.

"Bingo!" He cried. "They're in Skeleton King's castle!"

"All three of them?" Jinmay asked excitedly.

"Well, I still haven't got a lock on Chiro, but I know Sprx and Otto are there." Gibson responded. He flinched. "As well as Mandarin."

Nova nodded. "If Mandarin's there, so is Chiro!"

Antauri smiled. "Let's go."


	6. Nothing We Can Do

Taren looked sadly back at his house, knowing he'd never see it again. However, he knew he was meant to accompany his son back to Shuggazoom City. You never know, maybe there would be some people there willing to help him build a new city in the Zone of Wasted Years. That was his dream, to build a new city.

He noticed Chiro watching him and turned to face the direction they were to go. He threw one last glance back as they left the house forever.

"You're going to like Shuggazoom City, Dad." Chiro told him as they began to walk. "I'm sure everyone will be glad to see you again. It's not a jungle, though. If you miss the jungle, there's always the Savage Lands. That's not far from Shuggazoom City. You can go there or…"

"You're a kind and considerate boy, Chiro." Taren interrupted. "I'm glad to have you as a son. I knew I would have to go back to Shuggazoom City someday. Now's as good a chance as any to set out."

Chiro smiled. "Thanks, Dad. Thanks for saving me and agreeing to accompany me back to Shuggazoom City. I would never find the way on my own."

Taren ruffled his hair. "No problem, kiddo." He took out a compass. "Oops! Going the wrong way! North is in the opposite direction!"

Chiro laughed as they changed direction. The sound comforted Taren. He was determined not to let any harm come to his son, even if he _was_ a crime-fighting superhero like he said he was.

**Meanwhile…**

Jinmay, Nova, Antauri, and Gibson hurried through the halls of Skeleton King's castle, unaware that they were about to fall into a trap.

Mandarin watched them while laughing an evil laugh. Otto and Sprx were chained to the wall behind him with ooze.

"You won't get away with this, Mandarin! We won't let you!" Sprx yelled.

Mandarin laughed some more. "And you'll stop me how? Last time I checked, you're my prisoners, your chosen one is dead, and your remaining friends are about to fall into my trap!" He watched some more as the ground came out from under the four intruders. "Scratch that! They already have! Now I can go through with the final phase of my plan: taking over Shuggazoom!"

Otto and Sprx struggled against their restraints, but to no avail.

There was nothing they could do to save Shuggazoom.


	7. Phillip

**Four months later…**

A young man snuck out to the bridge late at night. Seeing no one around, he started across it.

Big mistake.

The siren sounded and formless formed behind him.

Still, he kept running.

He slid under the legs of a formless that stood between him and the last sprint to freedom.

The next day, the citizens would surely be punished for one of their own escaping, but that didn't stop him from fleeing into the Zone of Wasted Years.

**Two days later…**

The man pushed himself on through the desert. He was hungry and dehydrated, but there was no sign of food or water anywhere.

As he started to pass out, he thought he saw a figure walking towards him, but he told himself that he was probably just hallucinating.

"Drink." A voice ordered softly, shoving a water bottle in his mouth.

The man drank.

"What are you doing out here without supplies?" The voice asked.

The man opened his eyes to see a boy crouched beside him. It wasn't just any boy though; it was one of Shuggazoom City's protectors, Chiro!

"Where… where have you been?" The man questioned, anger bubbling up inside him.

Chiro flinched. "Trying to get back to Shuggazoom City. Someone kidnapped me and left me out here to die."

That was when the man noticed Chiro was in his pajamas.

Chiro shook his head as if to clear it and reached into a backpack. He pulled out a pineapple-like fruit and ripped off a piece.

"We don't have much food left, but you need to eat too." He said.

The man stared at him. "We?"

"I met up with my Dad a few months ago. We've been traveling back towards Shuggazoom City ever since. Um… we were far away." Chiro explained. He held out the fruit he'd torn off. "Eat it. You'll need your energy."

The man nodded and ate the fruit.

Then, Chiro helped him up and led him back to a small campsite.

"Dad, I found one of the citizens. He needs help." Chiro told another man at the fireplace.

The man turned. "Good lord! Phillip? What happened to you?"

"Taren?" Phillip gasped. "Everyone thinks you died years ago!"

Taren snorted. "Figured they had no faith in me. Oh well, my being out there came in handy. Now, tell us what happened to you."

Phillip sighed. "Well, it started when the Monkey Team and Jinmay were captured by Mandarin."

"What?" Chiro interrupted, jumping to his feet. "Mandarin has the Monkey Team and Jinmay? We have to help them!"

"Chiro! Calm down! Let him finish!" Taren yelled, pushing his son back down. "We shouldn't act until we know everything!"

Phillip waited for Chiro to stop squirming before he continued. "Mandarin then led a huge attack on the city, reducing almost half of it to rubble. After gaining control of the city, he set new rules. No being out past six. No running away. No rebuilding the buildings we lost. Everyone must build statues of him out of the ruins of the destroyed parts of the city. Those who've broken those rules are taken into custody. Few have managed to do it without getting caught."

Chiro was crying. Taren pulled him into a hug.

"Don't worry, Chiro." He whispered in his son's ear. "We'll save everyone. Together."


	8. The Plan

Chiro, Taren, and Phillip climbed over a hill to see Shuggazoom City come into full view.

Even from a distance, the damage was obvious.

Taren put a hand on Chiro's shoulder, but Chiro shoved it off, sadness, fear, and anger running through him all at the same time.

"We need to make a plan." He finally said. "Nobody knows yet that me and Dad, and even you for that matter, Phillip, are still alive. We need to come up with a way to treat Mandarin to a harsh pounding without letting him know we're here."

"The citizens working on the statues are watched by huge formless. I suggest we attack those first, from the shadows." Phillip suggested.

Chiro nodded. "I know where we can get the materials to make miniature bombs. I say we attach them to Dad's arrows, shoot, and BOOM! They explode upon contact."

"I have some extra bows, so we can split up, and if one of us is caught, we won't all be." Taren put in.

"That's the plan." Chiro nodded. "Follow me. We'll attack at the next sunrise."


	9. Fighting MegaFormless

Chiro crouched in the shadows, ready for the signal.

The citizens of Shuggazoom City had been woken up long before dawn to start working on the statue. The thought of this happening to his beautiful city sickened Chiro.

The first rays of sun came over the horizon.

Chiro smiled, aimed, and fired.

The citizens gasped in shock as the first mega-formless exploded.

Chiro was quick to reload and fire again and again until the spot was free of formless. Then, he hurried to the next spot.

This continued until a hyper force scanner Chiro had found in an alleyway (Sprx had had it before he was captured) showed that the city was clear.

Suddenly, Mandarin's face appeared on a big video screen that had been put up in the middle of the city.

"WHO DARES DESTROY MY FORMLESS?" He screamed loud enough for the whole city to hear.

"Some resistance. Finally." Nova's voice came from the background.

Chiro smirked.

"Very well then. YOU WILL ALL SUFFER BECAUSE OF THIS!" Mandarin yelled.

The smile slipped right off Chiro's face.

"TURN IN THE TRAITOR AND PERHAPS I'LL LIFT MY NEW RULES! FOR EVERY DAY IT TAKES TO COMPLETE MY STATUES, YOU WILL BE BEATEN HARDER! CURFEW HAS BEEN DROPPED TO FIVE SO NOW YOU HAVE LESS TIME! YOU ARE TO WAKE UP AT THREE IN THE MORNING AND ALL AGES THREE AND ABOVE ARE NOW FORCED TO WORK! YOU…" Mandarin was cut off as Chiro shot his last bomb at the video screen.

Everyone gasped. Chiro slipped into the shadows before anyone could see who had done it.

He hurried to where he was supposed to meet Phillip and Taren.

"Did you do it?" He heard his father ask as he got closer.

"No, I was about to ask you the same question." Phillip answered.

"But that means…" Taren trailed off as Chiro stepped into view. "Chiro, that wasn't a very good choice."

"The whole city's going to be searching for us anyway. What does it matter if we break another rule or two?" Chiro asked.

Taren and Phillip were silent.

"Infants are now being forced to work. They could be beaten to death. All because we made a wrong decision." Phillip whispered at last. "I'm going to see what the citizens think of all this. I'll tell them Mandarin found me and brought me back. They'll be disappointed, but I don't think they should know the truth just yet."

Chiro and Taren agreed to the plan and watched as their friend left,

"I hope he's not caught." Chiro murmured. "That could mean bad news for us."

**An hour later…**

Chiro and Taren looked up as Phillip returned.

"The citizens are planning a meeting tonight that I think we should go to. They might try to form a resistance and we'll want to be a part of it." Phillip informed them. "It will also be a good chance to let the city know that you two are here."

Chiro and Taren nodded.

"But not first thing." Chiro told him. "We need to find out what the meeting's about first."

"Agreed." Phillip replied. "The meeting is at midnight. Whoever is brave enough to sneak out will be at it."

"Which means we'll be there too. To the meeting we go." Chiro said.


	10. The Meeting

Chiro, Taren, and Phillip snuck onto the rafters above the high school gymnasium, the only place large enough to fit all of Shuggazoom City's citizens.

The meeting was about to start when they got there.

The former mayor stood on a chair, trying to get everyone's attention. "People! People! Attention please!" The citizens quieted down. "As you all know, somebody revolted against Mandarin today." Everyone started whispering again, but were silenced by a wave of the mayor's hand. "I, for one, consider this a very brave action." Everyone gasped. "The Hyper Force may be Mandarin's prisoners, but that doesn't mean we should do everything he says! This is _our_ city! We have the right to do as we please!"

Half the group started cheering while the other half felt uneasy.

"What if he hurts our children because we rebelled?" A mother asked. Everyone was silent once more.

The door slammed open. Mandarin stood in the doorway, surrounded by half a dozen formless.

"A resistance? Tsk, tsk. That won't do. Formless, take their little ones." Mandarin snickered.

Up above, Chiro frowned.

"Not on my watch." He mumbled, preparing the bow and arrow he'd been given.

He stood up, keeping his balance perfectly, and fired six arrows, destroying all the formless in the room.

"Sit down before you're seen." Taren hissed, pulling him down.

Mandarin looked around, first in shock, then in anger. "Who dares destroy my formless? Somebody's gonna pay!"

Suddenly, Phillip lost his balance and went plummeting to the ground, landing on several people. Everyone gasped.

"You!" Mandarin growled, advancing towards him.

"I had to be the one who lost my balance." Phillip grumbled sadly. "I'm not even the one who stood up to shoot the formless."

Mandarin picked him up by his shirt collar. "You will pay for what you've done, you little rebel!"

Taren quickly grabbed Chiro's arm as the boy prepared to jump.

"Don't go down there!" He hissed in his son's ear. "Mandarin doesn't know yet! Let's keep it that way!"

Chiro glanced at his father. "I can't just leave him down there!"

"Chiro, you can't…" Taren began, but was cut off as Chiro pulled his arm free and the force caused him to fall. "NO!"

Everyone looked up in time to see the boy falling, but not who it was.

Chiro was knocked out the moment he hit the ground.

Mandarin grinned, even though he didn't know who it was. "So you have a couple of partners in crime, eh? Well, everyone in this room is going to my prison. That should teach you not to mess with me. Formless, arrest them all."

BT and Glenny looked first at Chiro, then at each other, then at Chiro again. BT started shaking the unconscious boy.

"Chiro, you've got to wake up! You need to protect us! Please!" He whispered.

Chiro's eyelids fluttered open. He sat up with a gasp. He hurt so much, but the formless were grabbing people and taking them away. He couldn't let it continue. He stood up shakily.

"Make sure to get anyone still hiding up in those rafters." Mandarin ordered the formless. "Don't forget any…" His sentence was cut short when he was hit from behind by Chiro.

Chiro didn't let Mandarin recover at all as he sent attack after attack at his enemy. He was exhausted, but he wouldn't stop.

Mandarin fell first. The formless immediately stopped what they were doing and went to help. They surrounded Chiro and started beating him. Already hurt from the fall from the rafters, it wasn't long before Chiro passed out.

The fight wasn't over yet though. The citizens joined in with anything they could find and started destroying the formless.

With the formless destroyed and Mandarin unconscious, the remaining citizens hurried back to their homes, taking Chiro with them.


	11. Mr Gakslapper's House

When Chiro woke up, he found himself in a purple bedroom with white polka dots.

He sat up, wondering how he had gotten there.

"Hello, Chiro." Mr. Gakslapper stood in the doorway. "It's nice to see you awake and all."

"How'd I get here?" Chiro asked. "I remember falling from the rafters and fighting Mandarin and his formless, but what happened after that?"

"We took it upon ourselves to stop Mandarin from taking the last free Hyper Force member. We had to find somewhere to hide you and chose here." Mr. Gakslapper replied, sitting down on the bed next to him. "We're willing to help you in any way we can. You've given us hope, and we thank you for that."

Chiro was silent. So it really _was_ true that the Monkey Team and Jinmay were captives. Not that he hadn't believed Phillip, but what just happened proved reality.

"I've got to save them." He whispered at last.

Mr. Gakslapper nodded. "We figured as much. If you want any help, let us know."

Chiro smiled. "Thanks, Mr. Gakslapper. I'm going to need it."

"I'll call together a group meeting of the people we know we can trust. You're going to have to teach us to fight, Chiro. Do you think you can do that?" Mr. Gakslapper asked.

Chiro grinned. "I'll manage."

"One more thing…" Mr. Gakslapper said as he got up to leave.

"Yes?"

"Why are you in your pajamas?"


	12. Learning To Fight

Chiro made sure that Mandarin wasn't there before he called attention to himself.

"Okay!" He began. "I'm sure you all know why we're here!"

"Chiro!" A woman interrupted, running up to him. "Mandarin has taken all the little children! What do we do?"

Chiro was silent for a moment. "We're going to rescue them, but first, you all need to know how to fight."

Everyone started whispering to each other.

"I know it's going to be hard to learn in such a short period of time, but it's going to be necessary if you want the city freed from Mandarin." Chiro continued. "The Monkey Team is currently held captive by him, so we're the only ones who can do anything about what's happening. Once you learn to fight, you'll be able to handle the formless yourselves. That's what we need right now. Who's with me?"

The assembled citizens started cheering, and then the training began.

Taren taught people to use a bow and arrow, tools which he'd recently made plenty of, while Chiro taught them how to fend off enemies with their bodies (aka hitting and kicking and all that). Phillip also helped in whatever way he could. The citizens were also taught to make weapons out of whatever they could find.

Three nights later, they were ready.

Chiro got up onto a chair. "Tonight's the night! We're going to rescue our friends and defeat Mandarin once and for all! Grab your weapons! Split up into your groups! Once we get there, we'll be facing more than you could have ever dreamed of! Be ready!"

He leaped off the chair and led the way to Skeleton King's- now Mandarin's- castle.


	13. Rescue

Mandarin monitored the city through his computers, looking for any sign of resistance.

Behind him, the Monkey Team and Jinmay talked among themselves.

"Do you think we'll ever be rescued?" Jinmay asked.

"I'm sure we will be eventually, Jinmay. We have many allies and… Don't we have this conversation every night?" Sprx replied.

Jinmay sighed. "I still can't believe Chiro is gone."

"You have no reason to believe Chiro is gone, Jinmay. Just because he was left out there to die, doesn't mean he did." Antauri told her.

Jinmay allowed a small smile that soon disappeared. "Then why hasn't he come to rescue us yet?"

"Perhaps he's been trapped somewhere and just hasn't made it back to Shuggazoom City yet." Gibson encouraged her. "Look at it this way, some of the citizens have been showing resistance lately. Perhaps _they'll_ come rescue us."

"Shut up." Mandarin growled, turning around just as the large group of rebels appeared on the screen. "Nobody will come rescue you. You will be my prisoners until the day you die."

By the time he turned back, there were no signs that anybody had just left the city.

**A half hour later…**

The rebels arrived at the castle.

"Okay. Group A, search the South side. Group B, search the North. Group C, take the East. Group D, the West. And Group E, take the center. I'll go with group C. Ready? Go!" Chiro commanded.

The mob split up into groups and started searching the castle.

**An hour later…**

BT and Glenny, who were leading Group E, were the first to find the control room, which contained not only Mandarin and the controls, but the captive Monkey Team and Jinmay as well.

BT and Glenny nodded to each other and then ran into the room with a loud war cry, followed by the rest of the group.

"What the…" Mandarin didn't know what had hit him. The citizens soon had him tied up, but not knocked out.

"Quick! Free the Monkey Team and Monkey Girl!" BT ordered.

"I have a name, you know!" Jinmay snapped, but she couldn't be angry with her saviors.

Soon, they were free.

"Good job!" Antauri complimented. "We'll take it from here!"

The citizens stood in the hall, fending off any formless that came near, while the Monkey Team and Jinmay took care of Mandarin.

The evil monkey couldn't avoid his defeat. He knew he was to be shipped off to prison immediately.

The Monkey Team, Jinmay, and Group E exited the castle, dragging Mandarin with them, and the Monkey Team called the Intergalactic Police while BT and Glenny let the other groups know the Monkey Team and Jinmay were free.

**Meanwhile…**

Chiro grinned at the news. "Okay, BT. We'll be out as soon as we find the other people Mandarin is holding prisoner."

"Okay, we're counting on ya'." BT replied.

Almost immediately after they broke connection, Chiro heard a crying sound.

"Shh!" He hissed to the rest of the group. "Did you hear that?"

The crying sound came again, this time louder, and the group rounded a corner to find the little kids that had recently been taken captive as punishment for disobeying Mandarin.

Chiro quickly found the keys and unlocked the huge cell that all the little ones were being held in.

The children raced out as soon as they realized they were free.

"Stick close!" Chiro called to them. "We can get you back to your parents!"

Some of the parents were in the group and their children ran to them right away, urging their friends to do the same.

"Let's get them out of here." Chiro suggested. "The other groups can find the older prisoners. These little ones need to be taken care of right away."

On the way out, they ran into Group A, and the citizens urged Chiro to join them in order to help further. Chiro agreed.

**Outside…**

Mandarin struggled and struggled until he finally got loose.

The monkeys noticed right away.

"Jinmay, watch over the citizens! We'll handle Mandarin!" Antauri ordered.

They raced after the evil monkey, who had run back into the castle.

**Meanwhile…**

Chiro and the others had come across the rest of the prisoners and begun to free them when an announcement sounded through all parts of the castle.

"All formless report to me immediately! We've got a problem to deal with!" Mandarin shouted.

A man gulped. "I hope he doesn't mean us."

Chiro helped up one of the weaker prisoners. "He doesn't know there are more of us in the castle and I'm sure he doesn't consider the people outside as much of a threat. He must mean the Monkey Team."

The rest of the group murmured in agreement.

"Come on. Let's get these folks to safety." Chiro urged.

Just then, he got a transmission from Group B. "Chiro, we've found the Super Robot."

Chiro nodded. "Where are you?"

"The North side of the castle, where you told us to go." The leader of Group B responded.

(Anime sweat drop) "Okay. We're on our way." Chiro told them before turning back to his group. "Group B's found the Super Robot. We'll be safe inside there for the time being. We can fly it out of the castle and collect everyone else out there. Then, we'll head back to the city."

Everyone nodded and Chiro turned around and started to lead the way when Mandarin was suddenly blown into the wall in front of them.

Time seemed to freeze as Chiro's eyes locked with Mandarin's and everybody shuffled backwards to get away from what they were sure would soon become a fight.

"You." Mandarin hissed in a cruel voice. "I should have known."

"I don't know who you're talking to, but you're going down!" Nova shouted from around the corner. "Lady Tomahawk!"

"Vertical Razor Chariot!" Otto joined in.

"Magno-Tingler Blast!" Sprx added.

"Spin Shocker!" Gibson put in.

"Monkey Mind Scream!" Antauri said.

All the attacks hit Mandarin at the same time, making Chiro and the citizens cringe.

The Hyper Force continued their onslaught of attacks while Chiro led the citizens around another way. Nobody but Mandarin had ever noticed their being there.


	14. Aftermath of the Rescue

The group quickly made their way towards the Super Robot, finding the other group quickly. Once inside, the injured citizens were laid upon whatever comfortable surface they could find.

Chiro and any doctors that were there immediately started working on the wounded people.

Chiro soon cut off from his work to fly the robot out of the castle, having to fight several Mega-formless along the way, to collect the people outside. Then, he rejoined the doctors.

After a while, Chiro started to get dizzy. He shook the feeling off and kept working.

When he stood up some fifteen patients later, he heard someone shout. "Somebody catch him!"

He tried to look around to see who they were talking about. That was when he felt his knees touch the ground. He fell straight into somebody's arms.

**Meanwhile…**

The monkeys dragged Mandarin outside just as the Intergalactic Police arrived.

"He's all yours." Sprx said. "Do knock him about a few times on your way out."

"What my friend is trying to say is… we appreciate your coming out here to pick him up. He has caused much trouble for us over the past few months, no, years." Antauri corrected.

"What he said." Sprx agreed.

The police officers left with Mandarin in tow.

"You'll pay for this, Hyper Force!" Mandarin screamed. "I swear! I'll be back someday! And that's when I'll get my revenge!"

"We'll be ready for you!" Nova replied.

"Um… guys?" Otto caught their attention. "How'd the Super Robot get out here?"

"It has a mind of its own, Otto. It probably brought itself out here." Nova replied.

They headed inside the Super Robot. Injured citizens were laying all over the place.

Several people, probably doctors, were patching them up.

"Will he be all right?" They heard a man ask. They looked over and saw he had hair a lot like Chiro's.

That was when they remembered what Mandarin had done to Chiro. They wondered if he'd survived.

"He just fainted from exhaustion." A doctor replied. "It's no wonder, seeing how he organized this whole rescue operation and has been working almost nonstop over the past few hours."

"Hey! The Monkey Team's back!" A man yelled. Everyone, including those wounded but awake, cheered.

The monkeys smiled.

"Hey, where's Jinmay?" Sprx asked.

"I'm over here!" Jinmay called.

The Monkey Team saw that she was next to the same boy that the doctor had said had fainted from exhaustion because he'd overworked. They walked closer and quickly recognized the boy.

"Chiro!" Nova gasped, voicing all of their thoughts. "Is he…"

"It's okay!" Jinmay interrupted. "The doctor said he'll wake up in about an hour or two."

"What about everyone else?" Antauri questioned. "Will they be all right?"

"We've checked up on all of them." A doctor responded. "Nobody has obtained any permanent injuries or concussions."

"That's a relief." Gibson gave a sigh of relief. "I wish I could have been here to help though."

"No worries." Another doctor told them. "We've got everything covered, but we need help getting them all back to the city."

"Leave that to us." Nova said. "We'll get you back there in no time at all."


	15. Grounded

Once they arrived back in Shuggazoom City, news quickly spread. Many citizens partied all night long, happy to be free again.

Chiro was ordered to stay in bed, but he snuck out, quickly finding himself found out by Jinmay who, surprisingly, agreed not to tell the monkeys in return for two kisses.

However, Taren wasn't so thrilled when he caught the two kids out late past their bedtime and ended up dragging both of them back to the Super Robot.

"Come on, Dad. Just a little longer?" Chiro begged on the way there.

Taren shook his head angrily. "You should be resting, Chiro. I don't even have to ask the Monkey Team to know that."

"Please, Taren? Chiro owes me another kiss!" Jinmay joined in.

"You don't have to make a deal with me to get a kiss, Jinmay." Chiro laughed.

"Then give me one now." Jinmay urged

"Okay." Chiro leaned across his father to kiss Jinmay, who did the same.

"You two are in _so_ much trouble." Sprx's voice caused the two to break apart and blush. The whole Monkey Team was standing outside waiting for them.

"Thank you for bringing them back, sir." Nova addressed Taren.

"No problem. I remember Chiro sneaking out for the very same reason when he was eight." Taren said, ruffling Chiro's hair.

The Monkey Team was confused by that statement, but ignored it and turned back to Chiro and Jinmay.

"Chiro, Jinmay had permission to be out, but you most certainly did not. What do you have to say for yourself?" Antauri scolded.

"What? You expected me to miss the party of the decade? If you did, you're crazy." Chiro replied, crossing his arms. "Besides, I don't need to rest. I'm just fine."

"Jinmay, you should've told us when you found out that Chiro was out of bed." Nova put in. "What do _you_ have to say?"

"Well… it kind of _was_ a great party and kind of _did_ get kissed for not telling…" Jinmay responded.

"Wait, you mean the kid bribed you?" Sprx asked.

"He asked me what he could give me in exchange for my not telling. I came up with the reward." Jinmay answered.

Chiro blushed. "She caught me first. What else was I supposed to do?"

"Well, I'm going to get going." Taren said. "Don't get into any more trouble, Chiro."

Chiro blushed harder before replying. "Do you have someplace to stay?"

"Yep. I met some people at the party who offered me a place to stay overnight. As long as I'm out during the day, they're cool with it. Night, Blackberry."

"Don't call me that!" Chiro shouted after him. "I'm not three anymore!"

Taren waved a hand in acknowledgement of the statement and then went out of sight.

Chiro sighed, and then turned back to the Monkey Team. "So what's my punishment this time?"

"How about some lecture time with Gibson?" Sprx teased. Gibson glared at him. "Just kidding."

"Chiro, I don't think you realize how serious this is. You not only went off without telling us, but you endangered your own health as well." Antauri told him. "You're grounded for three weeks. No leaving the robot unless we're fighting something."

"But…" Chiro began.

Antauri held up a hand. "No buts! That's the punishment and you'd better stick to it!"

Chiro sighed again and then went inside.

It was going to be a long three weeks.


End file.
